According to the Oilers’ official Twitter account, the team has placed Brad Malone on waivers this morning. Should Malone clear, he will make his way back to the Bakersfield Condors.

A couple of months ago, the Oilers moved both Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan Spooner down to Bakersfield and needed to bring up someone to fill the void, and, to me, Brad Malone was the perfect candidate to handle the role. He’s a guy that can play on your fourth line, not embarrass himself when he’s out there, and it didn’t really matter all that much if he sat in the press box from time to time because it’s not like he’ll likely be in the longterm plans anyway. As the games played out, Malone found himself playing less and less and actually getting passed on the depth (and opportunity) chart by players like Joseph Gambardella, which makes today’s waiver news not all that surprising.

Assuming he clears, Malone will be heading back to Bakersfield to rejoin the Condors for their playoff run and provide some veteran leadership for a young group that is destined for its first playoff appearance. What will be interesting to see is how Condors’ coach Jay Woodcroft utilizes Malone upon his return to Bakersfield considering how well the team has played of late. We know that Woodcroft isn’t afraid to sit veteran players as we’re seeing with Brandon Manning who has only played in six games since being waived back in mid-February. Malone is now in his second season with the Oilers organization after signing as a free agent.

In 13 games played in Edmonton this season, Brad Malone has averaged 8:41 TOI and produced 12 shots on goal, 23 hits, and a -1 rating. In 41 games with the Condors, Malone has seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points, which currently slots in him 13th in overall team scoring.

Source: Edmonton Oilers, Official Twitter Account, 3/27/2019 – 10:07 am MT